How to add an IVR / Digital Receptionist?

You should now see the IVR Menu configuration screen, here we can configure parameters such as the time it takes before timing out and following the "Timeout" route (if no button is pressed) and what each button 0-9 including * and # will be set to do.

---1--- Menu Name

First we will start off by naming the IVR Menu. Please do not name it anything like your PBX name as this will cause the IVR not to work. We use something like "Inbound" or "Primary" if it is the route for your Primary number.

---2--- Menu Settings

Next we will configure the Menu and key press timeout. Menu timeout is the time in which after the announcement has played how long it takes before following the Menu Time out route. Key Press timeout is the time in which the user has before the first selection made is committed, if you would like to have feature code or direct extension dialling enabled during the IVR then we would want to keep this around 4 - 5 seconds because we may need to dial a few digits. You can tick or untick the Enabled dialing at menu for both Extension and feature codes should you want it enabled or disabled. Feature code dialing would be used mainly for entering a conference room from an external location if you know the feature code.

---3--- Menu Action

This is where you will choose the announcement that the person calling into the PBX will hear, it will contain the information of which 0 - 9 number is directed to where.

Another thing to note is the "Ring time before playing announcement" this is how long an audible ring sound will play before the announcement. 2 to 3 seconds is normally good. However if you are using an IVR as part of a Hunt list, you will need to set this to 0 seconds so there is a more seamless transfer between the Hunt list and the IVR, otherwise there will be a random ring in between this transfer.

---4--- IVR Button Options

This is where you will assign 1 or many buttons to do specific things. For example if the caller presses 1, they will be sent to an admin hunt list in which only admin people's phones are going to ring. The same applies for 2 - sales and 3 - support.

The last 2 options are "Timeout" and "Invalid", Timeout will be what will happen if the caller does not select any options or is purposefully holding for the reception. Invalid is when the caller presses a key that has nothing assigned to it. In this case the caller will hear the announcement again incase they missed which button goes to which department.

---5--- Saving

Once you have completed your IVR set up and are happy with the options, you will have to click the "Update IVR/Menu" button. This will update the IVR menu in about 15 minutes from when you clicked it.